Evaluating neighborhood schools before you buy

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buying near a great school, neighborhood schools, real estate and school location, School research

Even if you don’t have kids, school quality can impact home value. Hopefully you or someone you know might find this info helpful.

Schools are a contributing factor for anyone buying a home. Even if you don’t have kids yourself, your next buyer might, and they might base their decision to buy on the school district which serves your home.

The question remains: How do you evaluate schools? What’s the best approach for understanding if your local schools will score your property an “A” or relegate it to the land of “D-”?

Luckily, there are some excellent resources out there for vetting schools online. Here are a few I’ve come across which provide a good place to start:

Education.com: A major portal site for education everywhere, you’ll want to pay particular attention to the schools section, found here: http://www.education.com/topic/school-and-academics/

GreatSchools.org: A good search engine for researching schools, you can do zip code based searches and learn lots about the public and private institutions in the area.

 ProjectAppleseed.org: A website dedicated to improving public schools, you can learn a lot here about the crucial elements of what makes a local school and excellent local school.

Finally, here are a handful of questions to ask yourself if you’re doing research:

 

How comprehensive is the school’s safety policy?

What social/support services are available at the school?

How does the school handle discipline?

Are people involved in a parent/teacher organization?

How healthy is the school district’s annual report?

 

Finally, be sure to ask your agent!

Looking for neighborhoods with great schools? We can help! Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS – 904-422-7626 – http://www.HanleyHomeTeam.com

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10 Ways to Keep Your House Safe While You’re Away

Kevin and I headed further south last week to enjoy some sunshine and warm weather.  Our part of Florida has been cold and dreary this winter.  While there, we had some thoughts on getting way that we wanted to share.

Vacations are crucial to recharge and recognize what’s important in life. We only go around once, so it’s important to savor what we have.

Before you leave town, we thought you might be interested in a few precautionary safety tips to keep your home and your possessions safe while you’re gone. Often in the run-up to a vacation, people neglect to take simple steps to protect themselves from becoming a victim of theft or vandalism.

You’ve probably covered your bases, but just in case, here are 10 basic precautions you can take:

1. Have someone collect your mail and newspaper daily.
2. Leave shades and blinds in normal positions.
3. Put at least two lights and a radio on automatic timers.
4. Have someone leave trash at your curb on garbage collection day.
5. Have someone park a car in your driveway occasionally. If you leave your car outside, arrange to have it moved every so often.
6. Leave a key with a trusted neighbor in case of an emergency. Let the neighbor know where you are going and when you are expect to return, also leave them a way to get in contact with you in case of an emergency.
7. Lock all windows and doors before you go. Do not forget to double-check basement and garage doors.
8. On extended trips have someone to maintain your landscaping, (grass mowed, leaves raked, etc.)
9. Consider turning off your home’s water main to prevent damage from a burst pipe.
10. Be careful how much you check-in on social media while on vacation. If your privacy settings are incorrect you might reveal to strangers your home is vacant!

Be safe and have a blast…and upon your return, give us a call and let’s discuss your real estate needs. Kevin and Jennifer Hanley, REALTORS 904-422-7626 http://www.HanleyHomeTeam.com